The life of a person can be divided into seasons. Spring represents early childhood, a time of growth. Summer represents childhood and adolescence, an exciting and carefree time. Just as summer becomes autumn, an adolescent becomes an adult. Autumn represents the younger adult years. The winter season brings cold weather; this causes many plants to die. A person's declining years and eventual death can be viewed as the winter season of their life. Sometimes writers will use a season to symbolize a time in the life of the protagonist in their story. This writers" tool is wielded nicely by David Updike and Alice Walker. These authors use the summer season to portray the youth of the protagonists in their writings. This use of symbolism also helps give the reader a better understanding of the story's meaning. .
It is evident that season is an important part of David Updike's "Summer." However, the reader must pay close attention to details in order to grasp the symbolism and meaning of this time of year. The protagonist of the story is Homer, a young man spending the summer with his friend, Fred. They are vacationing at the lake with Fred's family which includes his father, mother, and sister Sandra. The story is an account of Homer's struggle with his unfamiliar feelings for Sandra. He realizes that he cares for her, but he is shy and timid when it comes to acting upon these feelings. As stated .
previously, the story takes place in the summer. However, it also takes place in the summer, or adolescence, of Homer's life. .
Updike writes: "It was the first week in August, the time when summer briefly pauses, shifting between its beginning and its end: the light had not yet begun to change, the leaves were still full and green on the trees, the nights still warm" (Updike 316-317). This sentence can be compared to Homer's life. Just as the summer leaves have not reached the maturity required to change colors, Homer does not possess the maturity of an adult.